THE gloomy British weather is making us fat. When it comes to the weather, we Brits are more hardy than our European neighbours. Come rain or shine, we manage to have a dry bright outlook. But the past few months have worn us down, and now it's impacting on our health.

On average, we are five pounds heavier this summer than we were in July 2006. Try and squeeze into your summer shorts, and you may discover a bit of a muffin top going on.

Limited sunshine hours have caused a downward plunge in moods. People are feeling tired and as a result we are exercising less and binge eating like Bridget Jones and Homer Simpson, in an attempt to boost energy levels.

Unfortunately, the longer this bad weather continues, the more pounds we gain.

We've seen the destructive force of the weather, and now we're seeing the psychological effects.

Professor Alex Gardner is a chartered psychologist who specialises in diet and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). He says the string of bad weather means we are spending more time indoors, and as a result our moods are being affected, which impacts on our eating habits.

"If the weather is poor we exercise less, which means we are getting out less," he says. "We suffer from reduced energy and have no incentive to get out and about."

Usually during the summer months your appetite is suppressed. Sunshine boosts levels of serotonin, the body's natural happy hormone that helps kick start your immune system and is also believed to suppress the appetite.

But this year our diet of salad and fruit, has been replaced with a higher carbohydrate intake.

Professor Gardner says: "When it's cold and miserable we turn to winter stodge which reminds us of a warm winter's day."

Professor Gardner says a lot of people are feeling similar symptoms experienced by those who suffer from SAD.

"For people who suffer from the SAD syndrome, they have to have light to produce the happy hormones.

"It doesn't have to be sunshine, you just need to get out. You don't get much of a feel good factor sitting in watching the television."

The professor says that the key to feeling good, and therefore eating less, is a walk along the beach.

"VDUs and air conditioning in offices produce positive ions which make you feel negative.

"People are drawn to the seaside and mountains because they produce negative ions which make you feel happy. Make sure you have a light lunch, get out of the office and down to the beach, and you'll notice a remarkable difference."